Program Director - Democracy & Environment

Program Director - Democracy & Environment

Crankstart is a San Francisco-based family foundation devoted to bolstering the foundations of a just society — wider access to better education, jobs with prospects for advancement, housing security, social welfare, and the protection of civil rights. Crankstart also supports the arts, basic science, and efforts to mitigate climate change. In 2025, we made over $250m in grants, with about 60% supporting efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Culturally, Crankstart operates with the efficiency of a lean team, while maintaining the rigor and professionalism of a much larger organization. We value curiosity, humility, excellence, and action.

Crankstart is currently hiring for a Program Director to lead our work on
1) Democracy / Voting;
2) Civil Rights;
3) Immigrant Justice;
4) Criminal Justice;
5) Environment/Climate Change; and
6) Basic Science.

The Program Director will shape and oversee the program areas outlined above, working with organizational, philanthropic, and academic leaders to co-design and monitor initiatives likely to drive measurable change at both systemic and population levels. You will lead a small team of Program Officers, collaborate closely with Crankstart’s two other Program Directors, and report to the Vice President of Programs. In this role, you will be responsible for producing a large volume of written material for Crankstart’s board each month and communicating verbally with Crankstart’s board during monthly board meetings.

You will be responsible for recommending how over $100 million per year in funding (a significant portion of which has been committed for 2026) should be invested to achieve maximum impact in San Francisco, nationally, and in the case of our environment portfolio, internationally.

The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of professional experience, have held a top position (Executive Director, CEO, VP, or similar) for 5+ years, be seen as a leader in one of the following fields: democracy, immigrant justice, or criminal justice, have led collective impact projects, and have deep familiarity with impact litigation and legislative advocacy. We are looking for an individual who has successfully changed public systems, is creative and entrepreneurial, is relentlessly driven to serve marginalized communities, and doesn’t shy away from making difficult decisions.

We are also looking for someone familiar with the systems and structures that impact the lives of San Franciscans, particularly San Francisco immigrants and those involved in the criminal justice system, and who has ideas for how they can be improved.

• Within each program area you oversee, partner with community, organizational, philanthropic, and academic leaders, as well as directly impacted individuals, to identify challenges and opportunities where Crankstart investments can catalyze measurable and transformative change.
• Co-design and/or identify initiatives likely to lead to change, both systemic and population level. These initiatives often include a blend of strategies, including research, direct services, communication campaigns, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and organizing.
• For each initiative, identify a backbone organization, if applicable, and the organizations responsible for executing each of the initiative’s strategies.
• Communicate initiative ideas, challenges, and updates frequently to Crankstart’s Vice President of Programs and use them as a thought partner and sounding board about both the initiative and the initiative’s fit for Crankstart.
• Provide thought partnership to each collective impact initiative and hold grantees accountable for achieving established outcomes.
• Learn from each initiative’s successes and challenges; share them with your colleagues and Crankstart’s board; and incorporate them into your philanthropic practice.
• Ensure your budget is allocated across your program areas and across each program area’s collective impact projects so as to maximize impact.

• Ensure each initiative and each participating…